Traces of Rain
by shadowgirl711
Summary: After being abused all her life, normal girl Johannah Rain goes to live with a new family. Everyone is nice and she can't understand why. But when a secret is revealed and someone gets kidnapped, Rain is brought into a journey of a lifetime. Please read!
1. Prologue

**Here's just a little tidbit of a story I just thought up while I couldn't sleep! Sorry it's not much, but here it is.**

Prologue

Johannah's POV

I search through the drawers. Through the mattresses, cutting them open and looking inside for any kind of treasure I've stashed. Flipping every page in every book in its stack, remembering the stories my sister and I used to read under my bed while we hid. I shove the notebooks in my backpack. I throw everything from my closet out into the room, until I find a small box. I shove that in my backpack too. I go to my father's room and destroy everything. Pull out everything from his closet and dresser and demolish it with hatred. The door cracks under my fist, my ghastly detestation for this man now overwhelming.

Once I've had enough of that, I grab my things and head for the kitchen, turning every knob on the gas stove so it's set on high. I ignore the urge of a glance at my sister's blood on the wall in the living room near the front door. I resist the temptation to look at the stairs to the basement where I spent years of torture in. I pull out a box of matches and light them all.

I walk out of the house calmly, climbing on my motorcycle and speeding away as my house explodes behind me.

**Sooo… What'ja think! Yes, she does have some anger management issues and yes, I don't really know how to explode a house I just took the clips from a movie, but besides that!**

**Again, sorry for it being so short. It needed to be, so you can embrace the moment! I will update soon. Maybe even today if I'm up to it. Please review! I will love you forever! :D**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hello peoples! Well here's chapter one of my story. Sorry again that it's short… I promise the next one will be longer! :D**

**Thanks to emilyroorose for being the first reviewer! :D You rock!**

_Chapter 1_

**Detective and Dr. Sophie Mason's POV**

It's midnight, I have a freaked out teenager in the back of my car, and it's raining. Perfect.

I sigh, looking at the clock, at the girl, then back at the road. This road seems to be going _forever._

"Have somewhere you need to be?" the girl asks.

I glance at her through the rearview mirror. "Just longing for my bed, that's all."

The girl nods. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

I don't say anything for a while, embracing her attitude and reading it. "So you have a name?"

"Is that a question to pass the time, or is it demanding?"

I shrug. "Whichever works for you. I was just wondering."

I hear her take a deep breath before saying quietly, "Johannah."

So, we have a girl here who doesn't like to be touched, is believed to be abused in her past, is totally freaked out by this whole cop ordeal but covering it up by being a smartass.

"Well, Johannah, I have a question."

"What's that?"

"Metal or rock?"

Once we finally get to the house, I drop my stuff on a chair and tell the girl to crash anywhere. It's a small house, just a rental until I find something better. I can tell Johannah is tired, that she'll pass out the moment she gets to lie down. The only question is, will she pass out here? Or will she run?

Johannah sits on the couch and looks up at me. "What are you going to do with me?"

I'm startled by the question, and suddenly at a loss for words. I force myself to catch them, and fast. "We are working to find you a home, one where you will be safe. I hope I don't sound too cliché when I say that."

Johannah smirks at me and I can tell she's impressed with my adult behavior, sounding nothing like an adult at all.

Within minutes Johannah is asleep on the couch soundlessly, and I pull out my cell phone and dial a now familiar number.

"Valencia? I hate to call so late. But there's this girl…"

**Yay! So fun.**

**PLEASE review! Reviews keep me going! Again, I promise the next one will be longer! I hate to do it, but I had to end it there. The next chapter is too long to fit this one as a starter. So I'll publish that one soon!**

**~shadowgirl711**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Sorry for the late update, I've been busy. But in apology, I give you… A LONG CHAPTER!**

**OH and to ImMadMyCoffeeWontTalkToMe, about the back story, don't worry. It'll all come into place eventually!**

**OH and thanks to my lovely reviewers:**

**emilyroorose**

**a good friend of mine, flick windsnap =D**

**Bellum Letale**

**And ImMadMyCoffeeWontTalkToMe**

**Disclaimer: do not own. :l**

**Anyway here you go!**

_Chapter 2_

**Johannah's POV**

I suck in a deep breath as we pull into a driveway. The house is huge. Full of kids too, I presume. Silently I groan. I don't want there to be little kids here. Then again, I don't want to be the center of attention…

Sophie Mason gets out of the car once it's stopped and turned off, then walks around to my door. "Well, come on! Let's hop to it!"

There it was again. That sly, teenage attitude. Something you'd never expect from a woman her age. Well, nothing I would ever expect.

I look from the house to Sophie Mason to my backpack. I can still run. My motorcycle is hidden in the forest. I can find it and drive away. But I can't right now. Too much attention on me. I'll wait until tonight.

With a form of hope built inside of me, I get out and shoulder my backpack, following Sophie Mason to the door.

_Ding Dong._

I flinch at that, then curse for my jumpiness with everything. It's so pathetic…

The door swings open carefully, revealing a little blonde girl no older than seven. She gazes up at us curiously, her blue eyes big and perfect. I force myself to look away, make myself look like I'm not interested in a single thing she does.

"Hi, honey, is your mother home?" Sophie Mason asks.

The little girl nods, taking one last glance at me before disappearing inside the house. So, things to look out for: puppy dog faces. I can already tell that girl is a natural at it.

Seconds later a woman walks to the door, welcoming us in warmly. I don't comply with the whole 'sitting down' thing, instead I just swallow and lean against the wall, wondering when the hell this story tale will end.

"So, how are you all?" the woman asks. She must be joking…

"I'm good! A little tired." Sophie Mason replies when I don't answer. What? She said you all. Not a question directed at me. I don't have to answer.

The woman laughs. "Yeah, same here."

"Sorry about that." Sophie Mason smiles warmly. Whoa, where'd the teenager go? I kinda liked her. But now she's in adult mode.

The woman smiles, too. Then she looks at me. "And you must be Johannah?"

I shoot a death glare at Sophie Mason that lasts no more than half a second, hating her for a moment that she would tell this woman my name. But I guess it's better than telling her myself, so I just nod.

The same girl from the door comes behind the woman, hiding somewhat behind her leg, but still halfway in view of me. She has a cookie in her hand.

"My name is Valencia Martinez. I adopt and foster children like you," the woman explains.

_Children like you._ _Child. Weak child. Vulnerable. Worthless. Helpless._

Because I guess now everyone can call me what they want, instead of just my father. The world just keeps getting better and better.

_Just show me where I'm supposed to stay so I can figure out a plan to get out of this place._

"Hey Max!" Valencia Martinez shouts up the stairs.

"Yo!"

A girl with dark blonde hair appears on the banister, gazing at me.

"Why don't you show Johannah to her room?" Valencia Martinez requests.

"Sure, why not." Max runs downstairs at a pace I'll never beat, meeting me at the bottom. She looks at my small black backpack. "That all you got?"

"Yeah," I reply flatly.

She shrugs. "Okay. Well, I'm Max, if you haven't figured that out already. Real name Maximum Ride, but unless you have a death wish for me then you will call me none other than Max. Got it?" It should have sounded snippy, if she didn't crack and smile at the end.

I raise an eyebrow, amused, and nod.

"Okay come on!" Max says and walks back upstairs slowly, expecting my hesitation. I suppose I'm not the first adopted kid here. We turn right to a long corridor, longer than I expected. She opens the first door on the left with a sign on the door that says 'Ella' in blue and purple paints. "This is Ella's room," Max says. Blue painted walls enclose the room, accented with white bookshelves and curtains and a polka dotted bed in the far corner, on which sits a girl with long black-brown hair. "And that's Ella. Ella, this is Johannah. Johannah, Ella," Max introduces.

"Hi!" Ella exclaims, bouncing in her bed a little. "I'm so happy you're here! Do you like to play sports? We do that a lot."

"Ella, in a bit of a hurry," Max interrupts. "Still have to introduce her to everybody else."

"Oh sorry," Ella replies. "Well, I hope you like it here!"

Max pulls me out of the room and shuts the door. "Ella is Dr. Martinez's only blood-related daughter. She adopted the rest of us."

"Good to know," I say, a hint of boredom and sarcasm in my voice, wondering if 'us' is including me.

"Here's Angel's room," Max says as she opens the next door, with a sign that says Angel's name on it in a messy cursive. Light shades of pink and blue coat the walls, with dainty crayon sketches of horses, unicorns, and stick figures holding hands. And hearts.

_As in a sign of love. Family love, like I loved Jane._

I hear Max talking, but I don't hear her. Not until she snaps her fingers in front of my face, snapping me back to reality.

"Whoa. Lost you there for a sec," says Max. "You okay?"

"Fine," I mumble, then map the basics of the room in my head. A curtain cuts about a quarter of the room off, I guess where she keeps her bed, since it is nowhere else to be found. A huge window against the wall on the opposite side of the door. Closet on right wall.

"As I said, Angel is downstairs," Max says. "You can meet her later. She's really cute."

"Met her at the door," I say, backing out of the room.

Max leads me to the next one, next to Ella's, with a name plate that says "Nudge's Room" in curly white letters, with a hot pink background and things around it like smiley faces, hearts, swirly-gigs, and wings. "Here's Nudge. Brace yourself."

The second she opens the doors, I stagger back, blinded. Oh God… the most… pink… I've ever… seen… in my life…

"Oh my God! You must be Johannah! I've heard so much about you! Well not really, only your name and that you're coming to live with us but it's so good to finally meet you! I love your style! It's so cool. You pull it off well. I could never—"

"Johannah, this is Nudge. Nudge, this is Johannah," Max interrupts as if Nudge hasn't spoken at all. "Moving on."

Next we go to "Gazzy's" room.

God, please don't let that name be chosen by his bodily functions…

It's not too bad. Each wall is painted a different color, from navy blue to tan to red. And there's some black accents around the edges. The kid is sweet. He's no more than nine years old with spiky blonde hair. His attitude is amusing; it actually brought a hint of a smile to my lips. Luckily no one saw it.

Iggy is interesting. He's blind. Yet he gets around without a problem. Made a pretty good attempt at looking me in the eyes, but I look away. And Max tells me he can cook. Now the getting around I could get used to. Follow the voice and look up for the eyes. But cook? No way. You need eyes for that.

Max next leads me into the next room, saying that this is Fang. On his door, aside from the name plate that says FANG in bold black letters and a gray to red background, are signs saying KEEP OUT and such. Inside, the first thing I notice is the walls. All black. Every light in the room is off except for a small lamp by his bed, where he slides a notebook under his sheets as Max turns the lights on, hoping we wouldn't notice. Uh fail.

"Fang, this is Johannah. She's across from you. Say hi."

Fang slightly waves with his hand, his face expressionless. But something flickers in his eyes that I can't interpret. Can't even describe a word for it. Maybe… recognition?

"Good job," Max says, then leads me out, shutting Fang's door, then opening the one across from it. "Here's your room."

The room is a light tan shade, with dark blue sheets on the bed in the far corner. There's a window like the other rooms on the far end, a bookshelf by the door, a dresser, and a desk.

"We did the best we could to prepare it for you," Max says. "You get to pick the color of the walls, do whatever you want to the room to make it livable for you." She picks up something off of the desk, about the size of a license plate. She turns it my way. It's all white. "This is your name plate. You get to decorate it however you want and it'll go on your door, like everyone else's."

I nod and she puts the plate back on the desk.

"My room is down the hall, last one on the right," Max says. "If you want to talk about anything… I'm here."

I nod again, this time in thanks.

Max grins sideways at me, a knowing look in her eyes, then she leaves me alone.

I listen to her footsteps echo down the hall, then a door shut, leaving me in silence. I breathe in slowly, then close my eyes, slowly letting the air out. Once I have a hold of myself, I set my backpack by the door and walk back through the doorway. I walk on the tips of my toes as I stalk down the hallway, in a foot pattern I've come to know that doesn't make a sound. I walk down the hallway to the stairs, where I see Sophie Mason and Valencia Martinez sitting in the living room downstairs, talking.

She's still here?

"I trust you know how to deal with these things, Valencia, so I shouldn't babble so much," Sophie Mason says, then laughs. "Here's her paperwork."

Paperwork, aye? How'd they manage to storm that up in a few hours?

"Thank you," Valencia Martinez says, taking the file.

I hide myself by the wall, out of sight of everyone downstairs.

"Sign here and here," Sophie Mason says, pointing to a place on the papers.

They exchange a few comments to each other after that, but nothing of importance. Thanks to Max I missed all of that. With some last few encouraging words to each other, Sophie Mason leaves.

When all is silent and Valencia Martinez and Angel go deeper into the house, I sigh and lie my head against the wall. Sophie Mason wouldn't tell Valencia Martinez anything doesn't know, and she doesn't know very much, so I should be good. Plus, I have a good cover story.

I count to thirty before stalking down the hallway back to the room that is supposedly claimed "mine", then shut the door and look for a lock. There is none. Cursing, I give up and grab my backpack, walking toward the bed. I pull the covers up to look under it. There isn't as much space as there was under my old bed, but it's enough.

_Knock knock._

I turn around to see Ella, Valencia Martinez's daughter, walking in.

"Hey," she says. "We didn't get to talk much earlier. I just wanted to say that my mom is really nice. And she's good. Um, lunch is almost ready. Welcome to the family."

And she leaves.

Again I wait until I'm sure she's away before daring to move, then I sigh and shove my backpack under the bed, then follow it. I can't sit up like I could with my old bed, but lying down is still okay. I did that a lot anyway. I unzip my backpack and get out one of my notebooks, a small one, and flip to the next blank page.

_November 18, 2011. 11:36AM_

_Dear Jane,_

_It's Rain. Today I went to live with a new family. There are lots of kids. They all seem so happy, but I don't know why. It's so different like it was at the house with you and dad. There is no father. And nobody has hit me yet. It's starting to freak me out. But I know they will eventually. I mean, why wouldn't they? I'm stubborn, a brat, weak, a whore, worthless, a failure, disobedient, and the list goes on. At least that's what father said, right?_

_Jane, I blew up the house. I couldn't take it anymore. I can't be in there without having flashbacks of the past. I hate it. I hate it there. I hate Dad. I hate what he did to you and I'm sorry I let him do it. I'll never forgive myself for it. I miss you, Jane…_

_Please love, your big sister, Rain._

**Aaaand scene! Notice the beginning of the letter to Jane and the second to last sentence is the summary? See what I did there? :D yay. I'll update soon, I hope! Review and I love you all!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey peoples! I've done nothing but write today, and I finished the next chapter! Aren't you proud of me? OH and note, my dark side comes out when I'm writing. So some torturous comments may be stated near the middle of the chapter. HEHE. I love my reviewers, so as I keep you updated, you must keep me updated too! Here you go.**

_Chapter 3_

Johannah's POV

"I _love _pizza! It's so amazing. My favorite kind is cheese, because the pepperoni is kinda just, _bleh,_ and the sausage is okay, but I really like cheese! What's your favorite kind, Johannah?"

I use my best death glare yet on Nudge, and her smile fades quickly from her face. God, she is so freaking _annoying! _ She _never _stops talking. She obsesses about lip gloss and her friends at school and pink. When will she figure out that _no one cares! _If she was in my family with Jane and father, she'd be dead before three days!

"Nudge, why don't you um, not talk to Johannah?" Gazzy asks. I'm beginning to like him more than I thought I did.

"Well that sounds a little mean, not talking to somebody," Nudge replies. "I don't hate her or anything."

"Well obviously she doesn't want to talk to you," Max chips in.

"Maybe now, but she hasn't said one word since she's been here," Nudge replies. "Eventually she'll talk, and she'll have to talk to me, because, I'm kind of hard not to talk to, right?"

"Guys, she is right there," Iggy says. "Wait. You are there, right?"

Max, who is sitting next to him at the table, flicks him in the head.

Valencia Martinez, who everyone is calling Dr. M, laughs halfheartedly. "Guys, seriously. Remember when you met Fang? If she doesn't want to talk, give her some space."

Everyone shuts up. Even Nudge.

Thank you, Dr. M.

"So, who's up for some bowling?" Dr. M asks.

"Are you talking Wii Sports bowling, or actual bowling?" Max asks.

"Wii Sports bowling," Dr. M responds.

"Sure!" Angel says, her curls bouncing as she hops in her chair.

"I like that game," Iggy says, taking a bite of his pizza.

I raise a brow at him. He's joking, right?

"I'm good," Fang says. He glances at me for a split second, then looks away. What does he want?

Later, when everyone gathers in the family room in the basement to bowl and the game is settling between Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge and Ella, I see Fang slip away from the back, silently up the stairs. I follow suit, making sure he doesn't notice me. I follow him up another flight of stairs to the bedrooms, watching him go in his.

He leaves the door cracked, probably expecting no one to come up. I tip toe down the hall, coming upon his door quickly. I peer inside, seeing him on his bed, his face in the inside of his elbow. After about five seconds of that, he turns over, pulling a notebook out from under his sheets. He slides a pencil from the spiral and dabs the tip of it across the paper delicately, before turning his motions into strokes and quick scribbles. He keeps it up for a good five minutes before hesitating, looking the whole picture over, then ripping the page out, crumbling it up and throwing it at the door… where I am.

He locks eyes with me, and I manage to hold it for about five seconds before _he's _the one who looks away.

"What are you doing?" Fang asks, sighing.

I reach down to the crumpled paper and unravel it, smoothing the paper before I see it—a portrait of me.

Whoa.

He's _really _good.

"It looks good," I reply, my voice hoarse, then I clear my throat.

He shrugs.

"I've… never seen a drawing like this before," I say, amazed, speaking the truth. It's truly amazing. Then I panic—I've said too much. And father doesn't like it when I speak too much. That would get me a cut on my tongue or lip or the inside of my mouth for every word I said, so it would hurt to talk for days. I count my words on my fingers against my pants—at least eight cuts, if father wasn't too angry.

"Thanks, I guess," Fang says.

"What?" I think aloud, completely astonished.

"I said 'thanks, I guess'."

That's what I thought… but it couldn't be…

_Rainy! This guy isn't father! _Jane's voice echoes in my head. I know it's my own thoughts, but Jane always said encouraging things to me, or just facts that would bring me back to reality when I was in a trance after father did something to me, so I just always hear those thoughts in her voice.

"Uh, right," I say, looking down at my shoes, my tongue tracing scars in my mouth. Wait, did I just answer Jane or Fang?

Fang looks up at me quizzically. "You okay?"

I look up at him too, then nod slightly. I look down at the portrait of me. "Do you want this back?"

"Nah, you can have it," Fang replies.

I nod and turn to leave, but I stop at father's voice in my head: _Don't you have something to apologize for!_

_Not really, _I had once said back, because I was bloody and sick and exhausted and hungry and all I wanted to do was curl up and die. But when I said that, father took me back down to the basement that I had just came out of after a few days of being alone, with the occasional torturous visit from father. No, not doing that again.

"Sorry," I croak, heart pounding, keeping my balance up with my hand on his doorframe.

_How many times did I tell you not to touch my stuff! _Father said as he hit me in the head with the glass cup, shattering it, knocking me out again. Jane had tried to pick me up and take me to our room, but father didn't want her to. That was the second time he had ever hit her. And I was just thirsty…

I rip my hand away from his doorframe like it had burned me, quickly finishing my sentence with "For bothering you" since father had always asked why I was sorry. Then I run to my room.

I slam the door and breathe quickly, hyperventilating. I turn off the lights and crawl under my bed, tears streaming down my face. I try to stop it; I never cry. Well, I do, but not often. It's no use—father has invaded my thoughts too much, and even though I know he's dead, I can't take it. It's like he's still here. Always. Correcting me. Punishing me. I at least try to keep my cries silent, and it works for about a minute, before I go into all out bawling.

Why did I have to live?

Why didn't he just let me die when he had the chance?

Why does he hate me so much?

Jane always told me that I'm innocent. That I don't deserve anything he does. I love her, and I want to believe her, but father always told me I did deserve it, and that he was the one I should be listening to and not my sister. He's the one who runs this house—I'm just a helpless, weak little child. I can't make decisions for myself. I was always forced to listen to what he said. And believe what he said.

"Johannah."

_Go away, father. For once, just let me be alone. Please._

I hear the door close and I flinch—not this again.

Someone rolls under the bed with me, and a loud and agonizing "No…" escapes my lips, my body trembling.

"Johannah! Calm down!"

Hands grip my wrists.

I'm too weak to fight—father never wanted me to fight anyway. So this just results in another wave of sobs, my body limp against his grip. _Please just go away!_

"Johannah, calm down. It's me, Fang."

I freeze, shooting my eyes open. Sure enough, Fang lies next to me, his black eyes sympathetic. Exactly like Jane's after I was released to our room when father had had enough fun of beating the crap out of me.

_It's over, Rain. Calm down. _Jane would say.

My voice trembling, I say, "I-I'm sorry F-Fang." My hands are trembling, too.

"Shhh, it's okay," Fang coaxes. "You don't need to say that."

"Yes I do," I reply. "I'm not worth your time or your life."

"Whoever told you that is wrong," Fang replies. "You're here because we want you here. No one is going to hurt you, I swear."

That's what father always said before he did hurt me.

"Please don't," I reply quietly, tears rolling down my face much slower now. I feel one tear reach an old bulgy scar and stop, deciding what to do, before finally going around it and into the crevice of my ear.

"We won't," Fang replies.

Some part of me wants to believe him, but another part tells me no, not to believe anybody. I've hardly known him for two hours! And look how much I've already opened myself up to him! _Stupid, stupid, stupid girl, Johannah._

"Are you okay now?" Fang asks.

I nod miserably.

After about five seconds, Fang speaks again. "Why don't you take a shower? That helps me feel better sometimes."

I think about it. Sometimes it does, unless I have a big fresh wound from father. Then the water would sting it pretty bad. But luckily, father hasn't had the chance in four days. I don't have any open wounds. Maybe I will take a shower.

I look up at him and nod. "Thanks."

"Any time." He begins to leave, but I stop him.

"Fang?"

"Yeah?"

"Please don't tell anyone."

He smiles. "Okay." Then he leaves.

I breathe slowly, trying to calm myself more. After about two minutes, I finally gather enough courage to get out from under the bed, taking his advice and walk toward the bathroom.


	5. Chapter 4

**Another chapter! And not too late, either. I'm doing pretty good with this, aren't I? Here you go.**

Chapter 4

Fang's POV

It's about 6:00 now. I've been laying in my room all day, after what happened with Johannah earlier. It hurt me to see her like that, all defeated and weak. I know that look she had. I know what happened to her. Well, I have an idea of what happened to her. She took my advice and took a shower, then shut herself in her room and has been there ever since.

I drew another picture of her, so it would go with my other portraits of the place here. For the millionth time, I close the notebook, then open it again at the first page. It's of Max. In this portrait she has her arms crossed and a lopsided smile that she always wears. Her eyes are averted from whoever would be looking at her, as if I had asked her to pose like that and she is rolling her eyes.

The next portrait is of Iggy. He sits relaxed against the couch, his arms on the back of it, a slight smile on his face as he looks at the ground, as if the Gasman had just cracked a joke.

The next one is Ella. Her hair is in a braid that moves behind her as she dances, a peaceful and exited look in her eyes as she tries not to burst out laughing.

Next is the Gasman. He sits on a bar stool by the counter in the kitchen, hopping up and down as if he had just thought up another way to prank Max or something. I grin slightly at this sight.

When I flip the page, I see Angel, sitting in a chair in the living room, body facing the TV, her eyes looking behind her at me, a sweet little smile on her face.

The next portrait is of Nudge. Even though I drew these in pencil, I still imagine her wearing a black shirt and plaid pink and black skirt, and she has those Converse that go up to your knees. She sits on the couch by Iggy, her hand holding up her face as she smiles at me.

Next is Dr. M, who stands in the kitchen with a whisk in one hand while the other hand holds the bowl of cookie dough. She has the whisk pointed one way as she talks to someone on the side who isn't there. Her black hair is pulled back into a messy bun, and she wears a dark blue shirt and jeans.

When I flip the page I see Total, our little black Scottie barking up at me as if I had a treat. He's an annoying little thing, but I still tolerate him because the little kids love him so much.

Next are some group pictures. The family playing Wii, watching a movie, fighting for the first bite of cookie dough, or having a pillow fight. The next few are of me, only one showing my face completely how it is. The others have black streaks in front of my face, or a light right by it so you can only make out half of it. There are some of me looking completely defeated, something I wish no one would ever see. The look on my face is an image no one would ever imagine on me. But it's been there. Before I came to live here no more than one years ago.

I skip the other ones of me and see the new one of Johannah, her knees pulled in close to her, fingers tracing the black braid she has to one side, her eyes looking out the sunlit window. Her face looks… peaceful. Something I hope I'll see soon.

Then a shrill scream comes from Johannah's room. Um, maybe not so soon.

I immediately hop up, hiding my notebook under the sheets of my bed and run toward her room. I open the door and don't see her anywhere.

Another scream. It's short, like she tried to scream but was immediately muffled.

I run to her bed and pull up the sheets from the edge, looking under. Sure enough, she's there, tossing and turning, groaning like she's being tortured slowly. Which, come to think of it, she probably is.

"Jay… Jane…!" Johannah yells, groaning loudly.

Again I slide under the bed with her, knowing it's a bad idea and doing it anyway. When she turns my way, I see her eyes are squeezed shut and her face is twisted in agonizing pain.

"Johannah, _wake up!_" I yell, trying plan A and not touching her.

Nothing happens except her writhing.

I sigh. Plan B: I grab her arms to stop her from flailing so much—she kicks me. Hard.

Her groaning and crying makes me begin to panic. Did I ever do this?

Plan C: I grab her around the waist and drag her out from underneath the bed, into the middle of her room to stop any further injury she's getting in a small space. By now she's covered in sweat and she won't stop screaming.

The door opens and Max runs in, stopping when she sees Johannah writhing and me panicked, and an expression crosses her face, almost as if saying "oh not again."

"Move," she orders, and I obey. Max then jumps on Johannah's stomach, one leg on each side of her, her hands holding Johannah's arms down, and shouts in her ear, "JOHANNAH WAKE UP!"

Johannah stops flailing, and goes completely limp, her face expressionless.

"Johannah?" Max asks, much more clam now.

Her lips try to form words, but I can't make out any of it. Suddenly her eyes shoot open and she's trying to scurry away from Max, whimpering.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa it's okay!" Max says. I glance toward the door to see everyone else who lives in this house watching in horror. Except for Total. I motion for them to leave, that we can handle this, and Dr. M nods understandingly and herds everyone out quietly. Max notices this and glances away from Johannah for a second, but quickly averts her attention back to her. "Johannah, calm down."

I watch as Johannah crawls further against the wall, puts her head in her hands, her eyes squeezed shut, fingers rubbing her temples, moaning. "Go away," Johannah slurs, her voice barely audible.

"We're here to help you," Max says.

"No you're not," whispers Johannah.

Max sighs, then glances sideways at me for help.

I nod and give it a try, crawling to the wall beside her. I stay silent for a moment for her to get comfortable and know I'm there. She scoots away. I talk anyway. "Johannah, it's me, Fang."

Her eyes glance at me for a second, as if to make sure I'm telling the truth, then looks away, moving her arms to rest on her knees now. Her voice is much more clear when she says "I know. Now go away."

I look at Max and she nods, then gestures toward the door. I nod too, then we both leave, shutting the door behind me.

"What was that all about?" Dr. M asks, the whole crew behind her.

"Nothing," Max replies. "Johannah just had a bad dream, that's all."

"God, she sounded like Fang when he first got here," Iggy says.

Crap. So I really did do that.

"Okay, everyone, who's up for some cookie dough?" Dr. M asks.

The children cheer and race downstairs, Dr. M following slowly.

I glance at Max. "I seriously did that?"

"Yup. Almost exactly," Max says. "And I did exactly that to wake you up."

I roll my eyes. Well that's just great.

**Hehe! Yay.**

**DID YOU KNOW: that I mentioned cookie dough THREE TIMES in this chapter? I think this deserves some for you guys. Here! *gives virtual cookie dough* ENJOY! In exchange, why don't you REVIEW! I love my reviewers! Y'all so amazing. **


	6. Chapter 5

**Hey. I'm really tired and don't really have the patience for writing an author's note… so… do not own, blah, blah, blah… here you go. **

Chapter 5

_Johannah's POV_

I sit by that wall for about thirty more minutes. After Fang and Max left, I heard a conversation with everybody else in the hall. So now they all know how weak I can be. Everybody. But what was that that Iggy said? "God, she sounded like Fang when he first came here". Fang did this too? And what exactly happened while I was asleep? All I know is that when I woke up, someone was on top of me, just like in the end of my dream, but they didn't have a knife and they weren't cutting my face. And I could move. Who was on top of me, anyway? I think it was Max, but it could have also been Fang. Oh well, doesn't matter. Then after I was convinced that I was just dreaming and _this_ is reality, I got really pissed that Max and Fang were trying to comfort me. No one comforts me except Jane. And I also didn't want to reveal any more weakness to them. Especially Max. She seems like the kind of person who would give me sympathetic looks for the next six months because of what she could have seen. Maybe it's just me. Maybe she's actually a nice person and would wave it off as soon as I'm back to my zombie, reveal-nothing self.

I take a deep and shuddered breath, running a hand through my long black hair. Jane's screams still echo through my head from the dream.

Jane… I need to talk to her.

Again I crawl under my bed, grabbing the little notebook and a pencil, flipping to the next blank page, then I begin writing.

_November 18, 2011, 6:34PM_

_Dear Jane,_

_It's Rain. I haven't even been here twelve hours and I've already revealed so much. It's all been by accent, I promise. A few hours ago, I had a complete breakdown and I kept hearing father's voice when I did something wrong, so I ended up punishing myself. Not physically, but emotionally. I'm such an emotional wreck right now, Jane. Then I fell asleep under the bed they claim is "mine" and I had another dream. At first father was killing you, and I couldn't say anything. I couldn't scream. And I couldn't move. But I could try. And whenever I tried too much, father would come over to me and do something horrible and it lasted forever. But I knew that if I could keep him doing something to me, he wouldn't be doing something to you. So that's how it worked._

_But when I woke up, I was in the middle of my room, and a girl here named Max was on top of me instead of father. At least I think it was Max… But suddenly I could move again, so of course I did. I tried everything I could to get away from anyone. When I finally got myself together, I made them leave. But then I heard everyone else's voice outside in the hallway. Which means they all heard. Maybe even saw. But I think Fang has a past like us. The way he knew to treat me, and what Iggy said… He said that I sounded like Fang when he first got here. So maybe he went through the same thing…?_

_I'm sorry. If it's any importance to you, you probably want to know who the heck I'm talking about._

_Well first there's Fang. He's really… like me. Quiet, dark, mysterious. Of course, I guess I'm not much of a mystery to them right now. But he acts like he really does care about me. It's weird, but I actually like it. His room is right across from mine. And he draws. Really well. Right before my breakdown earlier I watched him draw a picture of me. Of course, he didn't really know I was watching him until he was finished… But he gave it to me. Well, he said I could have it, because apparently that's not the best he can do and he was going to throw it away anyway. So Fang is okay._

_Then there's Max. She has dark blonde hair, like yours, and it goes down a little past her shoulders. I don't really know what to say about her. From what I've gotten, she is really loud and has no problem with making herself heard. She seems to lead the other kids around pretty well, with the adult here named Valencia Martinez. Her real name is Maximum Ride. Isn't that weird?_

_There's Nudge, too. She's about eleven. She is SO annoying. She NEVER stops talking. I mean she will, if forced, but she's so freaking persistent and is always asking me questions like, "What's your favorite color!" and "What's your favorite kind of pizza!" And she paints her nails in the middle of everybody! Bright pink! I mean, why would someone do that? Oh my gosh, you should see her room. Wait, you really shouldn't. It actually blinded me for a second. I swear, father would kill her within one day if she lived at the house with us._

_Iggy. He's blind. But a freaking good one. I probably wouldn't believe he was blind at all if his eyes weren't an unnatural bright blue. Thing is, he can make eye contact with anyone. He can get around without a thought. He's seems to be nice, but he hasn't really said much to me. When we met, he just seemed like "Okay, another kid here, cool, whatever.". It's what I want these people to be like, so I respect him._

_There's actually a kid called the Gasman. I know, right? Apparently he has a list of foods he can't eat, or he'll have some… uh… _serious _gas. None the less, he's really funny. He's only nine years old, but he acts way older. He's always cracking jokes and being sarcastic. Gazzy (a nickname for his nickname) spends most of his time with Iggy—I think he looks up to him. I'll hear Iggy say something, then a few hours later Gazzy will go up to Max and say the same thing. I don't know his real name._

_There's a girl named Angel. Again, what's with all of the weird names, you're probably wondering? I don't know. It sounds like they all made them up themselves. Probably did. Anyway, Angel is pretty sweet. She's the youngest here, only six years old, and has big blue eyes that sparkle when she talks, and blonde curls that bounce a lot. She looks up to Max like her own mother._

_Oh! And there's Ella. She's Dr. M's only blood related daughter. I don't know what to think of her yet. She seems nice to me (again with the niceness! Father would probably say I'm spoiled.). She also has long black hair like mine._

_Valencia Martinez (or Dr. M, as everyone calls her) is the adult around here. She likes to make cookies. Apparently, it's her own personal rule that there always has to be cookies in the kitchen somewhere. It's weird. I haven't tried them yet, but everyone says they're amazing. But they think everything is amazing so…_

_Yeah. There's a dog here too. I think Angel called him Total? Weird name—surprise, surprise. He's a little black dog, I think you'd like him if you saw him. He barks a lot—good thing his bark isn't annoying. It's just a little yip._

_Anyway… I think that's all to tell for now._

_Please love, your big sister, Rain._

I shut the small notebook and put it in my backpack with all of the others, exiting from under the bed and heading downstairs. I'm so freaking hungry I could eat my hand off.

When I get to the kitchen, I see Dr. M, Max, Nudge, Ella, Gazzy, Angel and Iggy all watching a movie in the living room. I don't really know how Iggy is watching, but I guess he's enjoying the presence of sitting on the couch with a bunch of people. Not likely. He's probably just listening. The couch is turned away from the kitchen, and everybody's heads are turned toward the TV, so I'm good for now.

I silently open the cabinet and see the cups. Not food, but it'll work. I grab an _Eskimo Joe's_ plastic cup and shut that cabinet door, opening another, seeing food. _Finally. _There's so much. I don't even know what half of it is.

I don't want to make sound by pouring stuff out of it's boxes or bags, so I just grab every kind of food that has individual packages, stuffing them in my cup and walking back upstairs. Before I go too far, I steal one last glance at everybody on the couch—and see the little girl named Angel looking at me, smiling, and I walk on, looking away immediately.

When I get back to my room I slide under my bed, dumping everything from my cup out onto the floor. I inspect every package, before ripping it open and tasting a bite of it. Rice Crispy Treats—yummy. Fruit gummy snacks—yummy. Pizza Stix—yummy. Lay's Original Potato Chips—yummy. Pretzels—yummy.

So pretty much, I'm hungry. And everything is yummy.

When I finish eating everything, enjoying every second of it, I walk to the bathroom and fill up my cup with water from the faucet.

Oh my gosh.

Water is yummy too!

I end up filling my cup about ten more times before my tummy feels like it's going to explode. I'd say this is the good part of my day.

**First person who reviews this chapter will be dedicated to the next chapter! Yaaay!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey all of you out there who happen to be reading my story at this time! Hello! Well… how has your day been? Hope you're enjoying the story so far! Lately I've felt like it's been getting a little boring, and I've had some writers block on this chapter, but I finally got something that'll spice up the excitement! …it's in the next chapter. :P**

**Do not own Maximum Ride.**

**Enjoy! **

Chapter 6

Johannah's POV

Have I ever mentioned I'm deathly afraid of the dark? Well I am. I only turn my lights off and live in it because I have a window and there is sunlight during the day. Maybe I can survive a small lamp light that dimly lights up the entire room. But complete darkness? No way. _Nooo _way. I need to be able to see everything that is going on in the room. Otherwise, I won't be able to see anything that might be coming toward me. It's a childish fear, I know, but it's there.

So, running away in the middle of the night (2:00 to be exact) isn't such a good idea for me. I hardly get three yards away from the street's light before freaking out completely. When I look around, I can't see anything in front of me. Because, just my luck, the moon isn't out tonight. So I turn around.

"OHMIGOD!"

I cover my mouth with both hands from my sudden outburst. Fang just smirks.

"Fang, what the _hell _are you doing!" I demand.

He shrugs. "Making sure you don't run too far off."

"Well did you have to walk RIGHT BEHIND ME?"

"No, but it's funny to see some expression on your face," Fang replies.

"You're one to talk," I mumble, walking past him.

He hesitates, then follows me. "Finished with your stroll already?"

"Yep."

"You know, you didn't get very far," Fang replies, glancing at the house in front of us.

I glance at his face, deciding what to say, before resolving on a "Whatever".

He laughs slightly. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

Again, I glance at him. "Tell anyone what?"

"That you're afraid of the dark."

Stopping, I say, "I am _not _afraid of the dark!"

He smirks. "Whatever you say."

We walk in silence the rest of the way to the house, upstairs even, until we're standing in front of our doors.

"Is that the only pair of clothes you have?" Fang asks after looking me up and down.

I hesitate slightly, then nod.

"Why don't you ask Max for some?"

Me? Wear Max's clothes? Am I even worthy of wearing someone like Max's clothes?

"Uh, okay," I reply, turning to open my door.

"Seriously," Fang insists. "She'll let you."

"Okay," I repeat, opening my door and shutting it behind me.

Weird.

I wait until I hear Fang shut his door before moving, not wanting him to listen to anything I'm doing. Not like anything I'm doing is important.

I slide under my bed with my backpack, laying down and unzipping the only zipper there is. It is a small backpack, nothing too noticeable. I search through the notebooks and other things, my fingers finally resting atop of a folded piece of sketchbook paper. I wonder for a moment what it is, then when I pull it out I remember. As I unfold it, I see again, the portrait Fang drew of me. In the picture I'm smiling, something I haven't seen in years. My eyes are full of spirit and gratitude—of life. I'm looking up at something, but the page isn't big enough to show it. My hair is in a braid to the side and my fingers are touching it.

Huh. I haven't had my hair in a braid in… years.

Looking away from the picture, I touch my hair hesitantly. My fingers attempt to do something with it, but accomplish nothing. I've forgotten how to braid.

Sighing, I give up and look at the picture again. Yep, it's official. Fang is an amazing artist.

Suddenly I gasp and clutch my head. A wave of dizziness washes over me and I feel really hot. I groan involuntarily and kick off my shoes, crawling out from underneath my bed and laying out in the middle of the floor, staring at the ceiling. Sparkles dance across my field of vision, and I feel like I could pass out any second.

"F… Fa…" I try to close my mouth on the "NG" but it seems like too much work for my body. I take a breath and try again, but my word is lost in the air, as it is hardly audible when it is born. A tear rolls down my face and darkness threatens at the edges of me, spreading, finally overcoming me and I can't feel anything.

Then I snap my eyes open and sit up.

Fang sits in front of me.

"Uh… what happened?" I slur.

"No idea," he replies. "I heard you say my name and when I got here, you were passed out."

Huh. He did hear me.

"And you started out on the floor here," Fang goes on. "I didn't move you here this time."

"This time?" I ask, then I understand. He was the one who moved me in the middle of my room when I was dreaming earlier. I shake my head. "How long have I been out?" I ask.

"About ten minutes."

"Seriously?" Only ten minutes? Well this is new.

"Yeah," Fang says. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yeah. Actually I feel fine." Surprisingly, this is the truth.

"Good," Fang replies. "Well then… do you still need me? Or are you going to kick me out again?"

I think.

I do kinda sorta feel better when he's around… but then again what would we even do in here?...

Suddenly, I ask something completely out of line.

"Can I watch you draw?"

A flash of confusion crosses his face at this, then fear, then it's back to being expressionless. "Uh… sure, I guess." He glances toward my bed, then turns to leave. I look at the bed too, hoping to see what he was glancing at, if anything at all. Sure enough, his portrait of me is halfway under the bed.

My cheeks burn as we stand up and walk to Fang's room. I didn't mean to make him do something he didn't want to do…

But before I know it, I'm sitting beside Fang's bed, watching him begin to draw someone. He first starts with the face shape, very light lines, and sharp, slender edges, finally turning to the hair. The person turns out to be a girl, with choppy bangs curled into her forehead. He draws the hair around the head, then begins with the face. I watch as just a small movement from his hand conveys an entirely different expression in the eyes and eyebrows. It's amazing, really.

In the end, the girl looks to be about ten, with light hair going down

a little past her shoulders. Her head is rested in her hand, and her eyes look thoughtful and alive. A small smile is placed on her lips, too. The smile looks familiar, like I've seen it before somewhere…

"Is that a feather?" I ask, pointing to something that sure looked like a feather poking out from under the girl's hoodie.

"Yeah."

"Cool." I wondered why there would be a feather there, but I don't press the matter. It doesn't seem that big of a deal to Fang, and force of habit won't let me talk too much so…

"Well there you go," Fang says finally, adding one last stroke to the hair before asking, "Do you want to keep this one?"

"Uh sure," I reply, taking the paper once it is ripped out of the sketchbook and handed my way. "Who is it?" I dare to ask.

Fang shrugs. "Don't know."

"Okay."

He looks me in the eyes, and I actually don't look away, suddenly allowing him to see past my mask, and him for me. Trusting each other for just a second. And I see in his eyes, fear, pain, loss, hiding the pain, then protectiveness and a try at strength. Then I realize what I'm doing and what he's trusting me to see, so I look away. He can't trust me.

"Thanks for the drawing," I say, looking at the floor.

"Any time," Fang replies, then looks down at his hands.

"I'm kinda tired now…" I lie, then turn for the door.

"Night," Fang says.

I turn and offer a half smile, maybe in thanks, then dash out the door and into my room.

When I calm down, I open my door and head for the shower again. Before I go in there, I look at the clock. 2:36AM. I sigh and turn on the water, making sure I have just the right amount of hot and cold. I like my showers hot. Like, get out and your hands and feet are red hot. Don't ask why, I honestly don't know. Just my nature, I guess.

Learning from earlier, it takes a while to get the cold water out of the system, so I leave it running for a while before getting in.

I pull the curtain back to cover myself from anyone who had better not come in, then stand under the water for a few moments, before my legs give out and I turn to sitting.

As water pours off my hair and my face, I entertain myself by watching water drops do a dance into the water. I watch until it hurts to keep my eyes open from all of the water getting in them, so I close my eyes.

"Johannah—"

"What?"

My voice is clear as I pop my head up so quickly it hurts. Freezing water pours across my face. Uh, what did I do?

"Johannah, it's 7:00."

Wait… that's not father's voice. Or Jane's. It's Max's voice.

Memory of yesterday and the past three days returns to me. This isn't my house. Father is dead. Jane is dead. The house is gone. New family. Sophie Mason. Fang. Max. Other kids. Me freaking out. The drawing. The feather.

"Okay," I reply, shakily standing up and turning off the water. I stumble out of the bathtub and wrap a towel around me, shivering, gathering my thoughts.

Okay. I fell asleep in the shower. Father didn't put me here. Max is the one who woke me up. I didn't have a dream. So that's good…

I sigh and get dressed in my usual clothes: a t-shirt, covered in a hoodie, and ripped dark wash skinny jeans. I think about putting my Converse back on, but I really don't feel like wearing them. So I don't.

There are waffles for breakfast. I eat them slowly at first, until I figure out that they are the best things I've ever tasted. While I eat those, Dr. M talks about going to the mall with Max and I to get me some more clothes. I _do _need some more clothes, so I eventually agree.

And I'm not looking forward to that _at all._

**Well there it is! I'll try to update the next chapter soon!**


	8. Chapter 7

**I'm late! I'm sorry people! I've been really busy with homework and stuff. And this isn't even a good chapter. I FAIL. I'll try to get the next chapter to be better, I promise!**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

Max's POV

The mall is packed full of people, as usual. Children run around their inside playgrounds, laughing. Teenage girls shriek in excitement in clothing stores. Everything seems so normal. Johannah hasn't said much since we've been here. Only a "whatever" when we ask her if she wants some type of clothing, or once she even nodded. So far, we've bought eight shirts, two hoodies, four pairs of pants, and two pairs of shoes. And some ice cream.

Nudge was begging to come before we left, but we'd all picked up on the whole "Johannah no like Nudge" thing, so now she's committed herself to her bedroom for a few hours until she gets over it. Pretty sad.

Now, as we walk by a Hot Topic, I see something at the corner of my eye. Someone.

I freeze.

No. Freaking. Way.

"Max?" Dr. M says.

I glance over at where I had seen him. He simply smiles evilly at me through the glass of the store and fingers something in his pocket delicately, then turns and disappears in the crowd.

"Max? Is everything all right?"

I look reassuringly at Dr. M, smiling. "Yeah, I'm fine!"

"You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Dr. M, really, I'm fine," I reply. "I thought I just saw"—hesitate—"my ex-boyfriend."

"Oh," Dr. M states. "Matt or Dylan?"

I laugh. "Neither. I stopped telling you about my boyfriends two years ago when you threatened to kill one of them."

"Hey, Dylan was a serious creep!" Dr. M retorts.

Again, I laugh, closing the conversation with a nice touch. Dr. M feels satisfied. Me, not so much. Aside what my face says, I am shaking like tremors crazy, my mind a buzz, the same questions echoing in my mind over and over. How can he be here? How did he find me? He still remembers me? Well, how could he not?

I breathe deeply, making myself calm down. Then I slip my phone out of my pocket and send a text message to Fang: _Lock the doors and the windows. EVERYTHING. Have everyone in the basement and do NOT answer the door._

Moments later, Fang replies: _Ok, doing that now. Why?_

I hit the reply button and type quickly: _I saw him._

Fang replies within the minute: _Oh. Got it._

At the corner of my eye, I see Johannah eyeing me suspiciously. Good reader, she sees right past my mask and sees what I feel: complete and utter fear, something not a lot of people have seen. I feel like throwing up, or fainting. In fact, I just might.

_Max! Get a hold of yourself! You're in the middle of the mall, filled with people. Do NOT raise any attention._

I breathe deeply, coming to an agreement with myself and trying my hardest not to do anything out of line.

The rest of the time we're at the mall, I don't see him again. I had almost gotten my mind off of it at one point, when we were walking toward the doors, when I thought maybe he's waiting for me outside. Fortunately, I don't have that bad of luck.

**There it is! It's so short. Well, whatever, it had to end there. Nothing happens the rest of the night to Max, so if I said any more it would just bore you to death. :P G'day!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Yay! Long chapter! It also reveals a lot of secrets and questions you may have wondered about, so you must read! :D Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

Johannah's POV

What was wrong with Max? Actually, scratch out the "was". Make that "is". Ever since she saw that creepy dude in the mall, she's been acting really weird. Old friends, perhaps? Ever since we got back, she's been trying like hell to keep us all in the basement. It's actually starting to scare me. Is she plotting to kill us or something? Or maybe she's trying to protect us. Max does seem… trustworthy…

No way, Rainy. No trusting anybody. They'll just turn around and stab you in the back. Possibly literally.

Angel walks up to me. "Hey Johannah?" she says sweetly, her blue eyes looking up at me sweetly. Ah, so cute.

I look at her in response, my face conveying monotonous effects.

"Can you braid my hair?"

My face falters.

Jane used to ask the same thing every day, back when I was good at braiding. Well, not _good_ exactly… I guess I was decent.

"I… I can't…" I stutter, probably sounding like an idiot.

Angel tilts her head to the side. "Why?"

"Why don't you ask Max to braid your hair?" I snap, then my right hand twitches at my sudden outburst. I _never _talk back. Not even to a little girl half my age. (Less than that even.) God, if father was here… that'd be a long night…

"She's busy," Angel says, pointing to Max, who is competing against Iggy on the… what'd they call it? A Wii? Interesting little thing. It looks like a lot of fun, too. I have a small urge to go play it, but as of now, I have a reputation to keep…

"Ask Nudge," I reply after a second.

"She's busy too," Angel replies. I glance at Nudge, who is painting her fingernails yet again (this time they're green) and humming to herself.

"She is not," I argue, then involuntarily swallow. That would've been at least five minutes worth of torment.

"Yeah, she is," Angel says in a tone sounding much unlike her age.

I raise a brow, then express nothing. "I can't braid, okay? So, no."

Angel holds my gaze for about three seconds before I tear away, not wanting anybody to see what they haven't seen already. Three seconds, that's a record with this one.

"Okay then," Angel says finally, then looks down and skips away.

Little weirdo.

After a minute of silence by myself, I walk over to Fang and stand next to him.

"So, why can't we go upstairs?" I ask.

Fang shrugs. "Dunno. Either Dr. M is expecting us to socialize, or something's up."

"Right. 'Cause I need more socializing today," I reply. "I went to the freaking _mall." _I feel a tugging sensation in my head that I've said too much, but I actually ignore it.

Fang smirks. "Weird image."

"Same to you," I say.

For the next three hours, we all continue to do what we do. Then Max says it's okay to continue with our normal lives, so Fang and I go up to our rooms. I stay there for the rest of the day.

"JOHANNAH WAKE UP!"

"What!"

It takes me a moment to come to my senses, realizing that it was me who cried out that word as I tore away from my dream.

Max smiles and gets off of me yet again, looking like her job is done.

I groan and sit up, my head feeling like it can roll off if I don't keep it balanced, so I set it in my hands. I force my mind out of the dream completely, shutting off the echoes of my sister screaming. Or trying to. Tears leak out of my eyes and stream down my face while I keep my gaze down, hoping whoever is in the room won't notice.

"You okay?" Max asks.

I nod miserably.

"Just making sure," she replies. "You look like crap."

Gee, thanks. Way to level out my self esteem.

I look up, curious as to who else is seeing me like this: just Max and Fang. Good. Now who else is listening from the door…?

"No one else is home," Max remarks, maybe reading my mind. That or she saw me looking towards the door… "They all went out for ice cream. Don't worry, they're bringing some back for us."

"Why didn't you go?" I wonder aloud.

"We didn't want you to wake up and see all of us were gone and freak out or something," Max replies. "So Fang and I stayed! You like us, right?"

I sigh. I like Fang the best, just because he understands me and relates to me. Then I like Iggy. He's just… unlike everybody else. After Iggy I guess I like Max, just because she can lead well. I like the way she cares for the little kids. I've never seen anybody do that before, and I think it's just… right. I don't really like anyone else here as much as them. Everyone is just too… happy.

"Yeah. I guess so," I say finally.

"Awesome."

Suddenly, the door opens and I hear Nudge shout a loud "WE'RE HOME!". God, why does she have to be so _loud!_

"Ice cream is here," Max says. "Clean up and meet us downstairs in five!"

Then Max leaves, Fang following her after giving me a look. What was that look? Can't quite put my finger on it. Weird.

The ice cream was _amazing._ I can still feel the cold, silky feeling in my mouth, even three hours later… I sigh on my bed. Yes, I said "on". Due to my good mood, l didn't really want to sleep under my bed again. That thought just seems like… bleh. Dark. Scary. Enclosed. Safe…? It is safe, but…

My thoughts trail off. I can't think of a better reason.

_Slam!_

I jump so high I actually fall off the bed. What the flip was that! It sounded like a window slamming…

Curious, I slip out of my room quickly and go toward the noise. It sounded like it was coming from Max's room, so I go there. I peek through her cracked door, and see… Oh my God.

Am I dreaming? Hallucinating? Something?

Because this doesn't make sense.

_Max, _just freaking had _wings, _and she just jumped out of the freaking _window_.

To make sure what I'm seeing is true, I run to her window and look out of it. Sure enough, Max is looking like a giant bird, flying away.

WHAT. THE. HELL.

Wait… Oh my gosh.

My mind buzzing with questions, curses, and jumbled words, I run back to my room. I slide under my bed and rummage around in my backpack until I find it—the picture of the girl. The ten year old girl with the hoodie that looks too big for her and the feather poking out from under the him of it.

God-freaking-dang-it _IT'S MAX!_

_I KNEW I know that smile from SOMEWHERE. It's on Max's face ALL THE TIME._

I scream in frustration briefly, kicking the bottom of my bed so hard my foot hurts.

Okay, _oww…_

As I force myself to calm down, a thought strikes me: why am I mad again…?

_BECAUSE SHE FREAKING HAS WINGS AND I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT._

Okay, that was the stupidest thing I've ever thought. How old am I? Five? No. I'm fourteen. Or something. Now, why is that my business?

…_It's not._

And if _I _had wings, would I go around telling random people about it?

…_No._

Exactly. Now. Why does Fang know about it?

_Because Max trusts him and told him, probably._

And why would he hint to me about it with the picture?

_I don't know. Maybe he assumed I would find out eventually._

Should I confront him about it?

_Yes. No. I don't know. Wait… maybe… um, no. Well… yeah…_

GOD RAINY FREAKING DECIDE ALREADY.

_Yes. Right now._

Uh… oh… okay…

Without thinking, I go to Fang's room. He's awake, drawing something in his sketchpad. I don't think he notices me yet. I take a few steps forward, and he turns his head when he senses me, sliding the notebook under his pillow.

I hold up the picture so he can see it. "It's Max, isn't it?"

Fang's expression doesn't change as he looks from the picture to me, then back to the picture. He slowly nods.

"Max has wings, doesn't she?"

His eyes suddenly change to something, I think amusement? A smirk forms on his lips, and he looks me in the eyes. He slowly nods again.

Ha. I knew it.

I put the picture down at my side, and then I laugh. I _laugh. _Do you know how rare that is for me? Very rare. So I am pretty freaking amused. And confused. And pissed. All formed in one expression.

"How long has she had, um, wings?" I ask suddenly, the word "wings" suddenly feeling weird on my tongue, like I'm speaking about fairy tales with my sister.

"All her life," Fang says.

"She was born with them?" I ask. Geez, there are so many things about the world I don't know about. How did I not know there was a species of humans with wings?

"No. Don't think so," Fang replies.

Confusion. "Wait. Then how did she get wings?"

Fang sighs, and I almost want to take it back, if it weren't for the amused look he has. He's _enjoying _this. Ugh, why don't I like this feeling?

"You might want to sit," Fang says.

I obey.

"Well… I'm not good with speeches, so you might want Max to tell you."

Ugh. I want Fang to tell me. But how can I tell him without just telling him flat out "no"?

"I want you to tell me," I say finally.

Fang stares at me for a second, but finally gives in. "Okay. There are some… crazy scientists out there who take kids from their parents as babies and experiment on them." He stops, probably expecting me to react somehow, but I don't. I just listen. "Max and I… we were both experiments from them."

I resist the urge to stand up and scream.

"Wait. You have wings too?"

Fang nods. "Angel and Iggy do too."

My jaw drops.

"…Yeah. Anyway, the scientists… they work at a place we call the School. They make all different types of experiments, not just bird kids. It's pretty much a living hell. They made these experiments called Erasers, too. They can morph from wolves to people. At first, we assume, it was just another regular experiment. But the whitecoats learned how to train them, and now they use Erasers as guards for the School and hunters to find escapee mutants, like us."

"Wait a minute," I say. "Does Max being an experiment relate to why she freaked out earlier today?"

Fang hesitates, then nods.

So he lied when he said he didn't know why Max was keeping us down there. Easily. Well that son of a biscuit! I sigh. "Why was she freaking out?"

"She thought she saw someone from the School," Fang replies. "But the thing is, she's been… sick, lately. Having 'head attacks', she calls them. She just collapses out of nowhere and holds her head for a few seconds. Then she's completely fine—except that she hallucinates. So I'm assuming today, she was just hallucinating again."

I shake my head. "She wasn't hallucinating."

Fang's face grows serious. "What do you mean?"

"I saw him too," I reply.

Fang's eyes widen a little, and he grows silent. I shift my weight on the floor some. When Fang notices my uncertainty, he speaks again. "Okay. So we're seriously in danger."

My heart drops. "What?"

As if on cue, we hear a window in Max's room shatter, then all hell breaks loose.

**HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! Wat'cha think! Amazing? No? Well tell me in a review. :D**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Max's POV

The night is so peaceful. Cold, but peaceful. I glide across the sky smoothly, embracing the feeling. I have the urge to do tricks, flips and duck dives and free falls, but… hmm, what is my excuse? I don't have one. So what the heck? I do. I do without shame and without paranoia. Nobody can see me, so why not have some fun? I laugh out loud a few times when I fail epicly at a few tricks, feeling like a dancer stumbling around on a stage. I'm almost having a good time, when…

_PAIN._

I groan fall about ten yards before I catch myself. This isn't a head attack. I just got shot! In the arm! What the heck?

Ari. Erasers. They're here. Who else would have that bad of aim to shoot my _arm _when I'm in the freaking _sky! _Not that hard.

I look down at the house. It's less than fifty yards away, tops. If the Erasers are this close, then they're no doubt going for the house too, for Fang and Angel and Iggy and everyone else maybe.

_Go, go, go, go, go_, I tell myself. I ignore the pain in my arm and fly as fast as I can for the house—no one is going back to the School today. Not on my watch.

I end up flying so fast that I crash through my window, shattering it. I land on the floor, on a pile of broken glass. In a matter of seconds, Fang and Johannah are in my room.

Wait. Johannah?

Johannah looks genuinely surprised when she sees my blood, but she doesn't freak out.

Just then, Erasers pile in right after me, wings on their backs. Holy crap. I jump up, instantly trying to send a message to Angel. _Angel, wake up if you aren't already. Wake everybody up and hide. NOW._

After a moment, I get a reply. _Okay, Max. Be careful._

Fang shuts the door so no Eraser can leave without busting another window. Or going through Fang.

"Max, Max, Max," a voice taunts. I turn and see Ari, smiling and shaking his head at me. "It's been too long."

"Oh, I know, right? It's been, what, ten hours?" I reply. I resist the urge to hold my head in my hands. It hurts so bad it almost feels like a head attack… but not as bad. And my arm literally feels like it's about to fall off.

Ari chuckles. "Sounds about right." Then he turns his head to Johannah. "Oh, who's this? Did mommy decide to shelter another poor, helpless mutant?"

I almost protest, but then wonder, is Johannah really a mutant, like us? No, she can't be. So I shake my head at Ari. "She's not one of us."

"Oh that's right." Ari throws his head back and laughs. "Daddy liked his first girl. Said he wanted to keep her for himself. But he did give us her twin, little Fangy over there."

My jaw drops to the ground. That can't… be possible…

I look at Fang and Johannah behind me and see them gaping at each other, wide-eyed.

"Oh, you guys didn't know?" Ari asks. "Well, this outta be a fun night for all of us."

_Get your head in the game, Max, _I tell myself.

"So, why are you here, Ari?" I ask.

"Thought I'd have some fun," Ari replies, watching intriguingly as his nails grow longer and longer and soon become five-inch razors. "And we have orders."

"Which are…?" I question.

"Bring back Maximum Ride," he says, then smiles evilly, fangs dripping from his mouth. "We've missed you."

I shudder suddenly, but also feel a sense of relief. They're not here for anyone else but me. But I'm not going down without a fight. So I level my feet so my weight is shifted on both of them.

"Anything else?" I ask, wanting so badly to make my first move.

"They also said that if you resist, then we can kill Fang," Ari replies with a grin.

Anger boils inside of me, and I start the fight with a punch in Ari's perfect human face. He is getting nowhere near my Fang.

Ari only laughs at the punch that would knock any other normal person out cold, then punches me in the stomach with a swing so hard it knocks me against the wall (which by the way, I am far from). The rest of the Erasers take this opportunity and spring into action, about three teaming up on me and the rest on Fang and Johannah. Oh gosh, Johannah. She is a _normal _person. She's going to freaking die.

I knock my Erasers out as best as I can with one arm, though I do take a good few hits in the process, especially from Ari. A group of Erasers, fighting them off with one arm, isn't very pretty. When finally I can face Ari fully, I throw yet another punch at his neck which he blocks, so I send a sidekick to his side, but he catches my foot and brings his elbow down upon my knee. I yell in pain as I hear several bones crack, and he lets me fall to the ground. Oh God that hurt…

I glance over at Fang and Johannah for a second. I am surprised to see Johannah still conscious, but she looks like she's losing it. Fang is trying to defend her as best as he can, but he is beat up pretty badly, too…

Ari steps closer to me, and I feel my heart beat faster as he smiles into my eyes, like he wants to see me hurt. I try to defy the pain and get up and beat him—but he slams his foot down on my right wing.

An agonizing scream escapes my lips and I arch my back, squeezing my eyes shut and sucking in a breath. _Oh my gosh, why did he do that!_

Suddenly Ari is off of me, and I silently thank someone for that. When I open my eyes, I see Fang and Ari battling against each other while more Erasers pile in from the window, one by one. Okay, this is a tiny room that can't fit twenty people. We should be able to win this. But somehow, we're not. I'm laying limply on the ground, Fang is in combat with Ari, and Johannah is losing against one Eraser. (Dang, she is a tough girl to be taking this much.) Maybe we are winning?

"Everybody stop!" Ari shouts. When I look at him, he is on top of Fang, one hand holding Fang's head up by his hair, and the other hand holding a knife to Fang's throat. Fang catches my eye and I give him a sympathetic look, then he looks away, not wanting me to see his pain.

"One stupid move from either one of you, and he dies," Ari announces, looking at me and Johannah, then at Fang with the last word. "Max, you're coming with us, if you haven't figured that out already." He chuckles, then gestures to a few Erasers who are still conscious to me, and they obey, walking over excitedly. I dread what must come next, and I look at Fang one more time before a big Eraser boot is hurled at my face and I lose consciousness completely.


	11. Chapter 10

**Here's the next chapter! Sorry it's a little late. I've had some writer's block. But it's all better! Please review!**

Chapter 10

Fang's POV

Ari keeps the knife to my throat until every Eraser is out of the room, taking an unconscious Max with them. We listen to the Erasers fly clumsily away for about five seconds before Ari finally does something—thrusts the knife deeper, causing my blood to drip down my neck and on his blade. He leans in close to my ear, then says callously, "My orders were to bring Max back to School alive, but there wasn't a word on sympathy. So I'm warning you. If you follow us, she's going to be the one getting hurt."

With that, he draws the blade away, but he does punch me in the back of the head with the hilt as a finishing touch before he jumps back out Max's window and into the open air.

I breathe out for a second, trying to summon the strength to stand up and fight them.

_Must get up. Get Max back. Get her away from… them._

With a groan, I stand up and wobble toward the window, gripping the frame as I watch the Erasers board a helicopter about half a mile away. Without a thought, I take off my shirt and extend my wings behind me, giving me enough room to get out the window but still catch myself into the air before plummeting on the ground.

Then I jump. I unfurl my black wings a second later, angling them so I can go straight up and forward—right for the chopper that has my Max in it.

As I fly toward them, I suddenly remember Johannah, my "twin" (what the heck was that about?), and remember that an Eraser knocked her out right before they left. So I don't have to worry about her right now.

Soon I reach the chopper and see two Erasers flying the thing, and more behind them. In the crowd of Erasers I see Max, unconscious on the floor. Her hands are already zip tied, with duct tape over her mouth. Quickly thinking of a plan, I fly down to the trees and grab a large stick. When I get back to being under the chopper, I fly in front of the windshield and thrust the stick into the glass.

The windshield shatters.

Of course, the Erasers freak out. And of course, they get their battle faces on and their guns loaded. Never the less, I jump right through the broken glass window and lunge for Max. But I don't notice Ari, one of the Erasers standing by her, swing something hard right at my face.

I feel my body being thrown back by the impact, and darkness threatening at the corners of my eyes, but I force it away. With my face feeling like it's in a blazing fire, I jump back at Ari, tackling him to the ground. Again.

I punch him in the face, _hard, _and Ari acts like it didn't just happen. Instead of writhing in pain or even holding his face, he pulls his legs up close to his face, and kicks me in the stomach, sending me flying across the room into the pile of glass that used to be the windshield. When I gather myself, I stand up to him—only to see him pointing a gun at me.

So I freeze.

"Didn't I tell you that if you followed us, Max would get hurt?" Ari asks.

He did, with a knife to my throat. But doesn't he know I can be pretty stubborn?

"Well it's too late," Ari goes on when my silence is too much for him. "The Director doesn't want you anymore. So goodbye, Fang."

And with that, he pulls the trigger—just as I dodge out of the way. The bullet hits my wing.

I resist yelling out in pain, instead smirking at Ari. But he doesn't find it amusing.

After a look from Ari, an Eraser next to me suddenly pushes me out of the chopper.

With the wind rushing past me, I gather what just happened. _Ohhh. I'm falling. _I try to fly, but my left wing doesn't work as well as it should, so I end up flying in spirals down toward the ground.

A few seconds ago, when I thought I'm going to live, I now reject that thought as I hit the ground so hard that I instantly fall unconscious.

**BWAWHAHAHA! SUSPENSE! Sorry it's a little short. :P Well please tell me what you think! Questions, corrections, comments? Review. **


	12. Chapter 11

**I'm baaaack! Sorry for the wait. I've had some writer's block. But I think it's all better! So enjoy this chapter!**

Chapter 11

Johannah POV

I wake with a start, jumping to my feet. The first thing I notice is that _everybody _is in here. Well, except for Max. And Fang. Of course.

"Are you okay!" Dr. M asks, obviously panicked.

"I'm fine," I croak, leaning against the wall.

"Where's Max? And Fang?"

Finally reality catches up with me. _What. The hell. Happened!_

"Um, Max got kidnapped, and I don't know where Fang is," I reply. "He was here when I got knocked out."

Dr. M deflates, a hand on her forehead.

Again, _what is going on?_

"Who… What were those things?" I ask, then remember that nobody else here saw them.

"They're called Erasers," Angel replies. Wait—how does she know…? Oh yeah. Fang said she has wings too.

Erasers. Fang told me about those. He told me about a lot of things. How did I not get that _those _were Erasers?

"Okay," Dr. M says, "Would they take Fang too?"

I shake my head. "They might have, but I doubt it. All of the Erasers seemed pretty content with just taking Max…"

Dr. M nods. "Okay. So, where would Fang be?"

"Probably tried to save Max," Iggy replies. "Angel, can you send a message to him?"

_Send a message to him?_

Angel, the little angelic girl, suddenly closes her eyes tight, thinking hard.

_What is she doing?_

After about a minute, she gives up and swings her arms to her side. "I can't get anything. I think he's asleep. But he is having a dream about Johannah."

I freeze. _Whaaat?_

Okay, now someone REALLY needs to tell me what's going on. Does this have to do with her having wings? Her knowing what he's dreaming about?

After an awkward silence, Iggy goes on. "Well, _okay. _Can you tell, like, where he is?"

Angel shakes her head, her blonde curls bouncing from side to side. "It doesn't really work like that…"

"That's okay, Angel," Dr. M reassures, smiling, but her heart isn't fully in it.

Angel looks down at her bare feet, sniffing like she's about to cry. "I wish I could help Fang and Max…"

"Oh, hon, it's okay," Ella says, picking Angel up and setting her in her lap, sitting by the door.

"Oh my God, I can't believe this happened!" Nudge starts. "I mean, Max freaking got _kidnapped! _By the most _freaky things ever! _I've never really _seen _them, but Max has told me about them. They sound really scary, even though I know she wasn't saying most of it because Max is like, our second mother and she doesn't want to put scary pictures in our heads. Anyways I know they're like part wolf and they can grow fur and—OMG! I bet they can rip your throats out like they do in the movies!"

Angel's face flushes.

"Anyway I wonder what they're doing to Max! Poor Max! OH, and where's Fang? I hope they didn't take him too! That would be horrible! We'd probably like, never see them again! Fang used to have nightmares about it—well, and about his foster home, but a lot of it was this lab place Max told me about that they call the School. They do horrible things there. They torture kids and Fang said it's like a living hell—"

"NUDGE!" Ella screams, interrupting Nudge's rant, her hands covering Angel's ears. "Are you aware that there are children littler than you in this room!"

I look at Gazzy, who has been silent this whole time. His face is pale, probably mentally scarred from Nudge's speech. Ha-ha, poor kid. Dr. M follows my gaze and hugs Gazzy.

_He isn't with them._

The thought passes by so naturally that I almost don't catch it. But I do, and I bring it back to my head and think about it.

_Who _isn't with _who_?

_Fang didn't get kidnapped. I think he's still here. Close to the house._

Hmm… You think maybe he went after Max and they knocked him out and left him here?

I don't see why they would do that, or even why that makes sense in my head, but it does. My heart feels like it's right.

"Guys… I think Fang is here," I say suddenly, interrupting a rant from Iggy and Dr. M that I didn't know was going on.

"How do you know?" Gazzy asks, suddenly curious.

"I don't… I don't know…" I say, answering honestly. I _don't _know why or how I know that, but I know that it's right.

"Twin telepathy," Angel says suddenly.

"What?" is my reply.

"You and Fang are twins," Angel replies.

How does she _know _that? She wasn't even in the room when that guy said it!

"Sorry, I can read minds," Angel explains.

_Oooohhhh…_

Is that even possible?

"Well, with us mutants it is," says the six-year old.

My jaw drops slightly. _Okay…_

"Wait… so Fang and I really are twins?" I ask Angel, feeling kind of stupid. Like a girl less than half my age would know that.

"Yeah, you are," Angel replies.

"How do you know that?" Gazzy asks.

Angel shrugs. "I just know."

"Well, Johannah, what do you think we should do?" Dr. M asks.

I look around at the crowd of people in the room. _They look up to me. _Besides Iggy and Dr. M, who are pretty helpless right now as to what is going on, I'm the oldest. People are asking me what to do. Like I'm a leader. Well that's scary.

"Um, we need to go outside and search everywhere for Fang first," I end up saying, feeling strange that I'm telling people what to do. And reluctantly, everybody obeys me. Even more scary.

Once we're gathered outside, I think of an idea.

"I think we should split up into groups," I say. "How many of us are here?"

Dr. M counts heads, then replies, "Seven."

"Eight," Angel corrects, picking up the dog, Total, and hugging him tightly. "You forgot Total."

"So we're even. Everyone should have a partner," I say, feeling absolutely free.

Gazzy and Iggy stand closer together, as does Ella and Nudge. Angel continues to hug Total, and Dr. M stands on her own.

"Angel, you and Total can come with me," Dr. M says, holding out her hand.

Angel nods and takes it, leaving me alone. But that's okay—I like being alone. If you haven't noticed.

"Johannah, do you want a partner?" Dr. M asks me.

I shrug. "I don't care. If you all are okay, then I am." The words feel weird on my tongue, but I don't mind it too much.

"Okay then," Dr. M says. "Iggy and Gazzy, you go north. Ella and Nudge, you go east. We'll go south. Johannah, you go west. Meet back here in an hour, okay? Keep your phones on you."

"Johannah doesn't have a phone yet," Gazzy points out.

"Oh that's right," Dr. M says, then pulls her own out of her pocket. "Here, use mine for now."

"Uh, thank you." I take the phone from her hand, realizing it's the first time I've physically touched someone here purposely.

"An hour, all right?" Dr. M says to everyone. "That's 9:30."

"Got it," Iggy says, then begins walking in his direction. How he knows where north is, I don't know.

I've been walking for about 30 minutes now. Earlier, I never really had the chance to check myself over from the fight, but now that my mind has drifted to other things, I have. My face really hurts, mostly my left eye and my jaw. Pretty sure my shoulder is dislocated, and my wrist is definitely broken. Then there's cuts and bruises all over me that I don't dare to count.

Suddenly I hear a small groan and… Fang.

"Oh my gosh…"

First of all, Fang doesn't have a shirt on. Second of all, he has black wings now bending awkwardly under his back. Thirdly, he is covered in _blood. _And he's waking up—perfect timing, Fang.

Fang bites his lip and opens his eyes, watching the sky—he doesn't know I'm here yet. Suddenly he jerks up into a sitting position, panicked, but his shoulders relax when he sees me. His eyes still convey pain and fear.

"…You okay?" I ask after a long silence.

Fang's eyes clear to nothingness and he nods glumly . "And you?"

"Pretty okay," I lie. I know he's lying too.

Fang has to try a few times to get words out, which looks a little weird, but eventually he asks, "They took Max, didn't they?"

I hesitate, then solemnly nod.

His head drops—he failed.

"Uh, everyone's looking for you," I say, trying to make the moment less awkward.

Fang nods understandingly, then stands up slowly, cringing a few times. Once we're on the move, I decide it'd probably be a good idea to call somebody and tell them that I found Fang. So I pull out Dr. M's phone from my pocket and decide to go to "Contacts", because it has a picture of a phonebook above it. A phonebook has names in it, right? I scroll down and find the name "Iggy". Perfect!

Dialing…

"Hi?"

"Hey, um, Iggy. I found Fang."

"Oh. Good. How is he?"

"Pretty bad."

"Okay. Head back to the house, we'll meet you there."

"Okay."

And I hang up.

**HEY! HEY! HELLO? LISTEN! LISTEN! HELLO! LOOK! HELLO? LISTEN! HEY! HEY! LISTEN!**

**From Navi (who is from Zelda.)**

**This chapter is dedicated to Navi.**

**She demands that you review. Obey or forever be succumbed to the annoyance of repetitive words!**


	13. Chapter 12

**MUAHAHAHAHA! I UPDATE FASTER NOW! Well… just until school starts again. Which is in three days. Bleh. But GUESS WHAT! I KIDNAPPED FANG! Didn't I, Fangy?**

**Fang: Uh… yeah.**

**Me: HAHAHAHAHA! Well anyway this chapter is kinda short… and it doesn't get anywhere in the story but it is good! Well enjoy!**

Chapter 12

Johannah's POV

I wince… again.

"Sorry, Johannah…" Dr. M says again as she stitches up another cut.

I still find it weird that people are saying sorry to me, but it doesn't surprise me with this family. In fact, I would expect nothing less.

Sighing, I look around, trying to keep my eyes off the operation going on in my arm. I'm in a white room, with a bunch of animal posters and graphs on the walls—Dr. M says she's a vet. Fang is in a hospital bed beside me, unconscious. Dr. M put him out with some type of drug so she could get the bullet out of his wing without him feeling it. He also had some deep cuts stitched up so they could heal properly, and he hasn't woken up yet. Nudge sits in a chair near us, playing something on her iPod, keeping herself occupied from the gore of stitches. She's just here to help. Iggy took everyone else out to get ice cream so they wouldn't have to watch.

Smart move.

But how would he find the ice cream shop? I don't really know.

"So, Johannah," Dr. M starts conversationally, "what's your favorite animal?"

I look at her ineptly. "What kind of question is that?" I think aloud.

"Just starting a conversation," she replies. "Get your mind off of things."

Uh, okay… "I don't really know." What did Jane like? "Maybe a cat."

"I like cats, too," says Dr. M. "I grew up with them. They're actually the reason I wanted to become a vet."

I nod, then there's a silence. Say something! "Cool."

Apparently it's good enough. Dr. M smiles, then continues. "So why is the cat your favorite?"

Again, weird question. "I don't know. It just is."

She laughs. "Yeah it was probably a stupid question. Now I just have one more here, then you're done, all right?"

I nod.

"You've done a great job so far; you're a very tough girl."

I think that's a compliment… right?

I hold my breath as another part of my arm is numbed and operated on.

"So… is there anything you want to talk about?" she asks me. "Is there anything you've been wondering? Or just want to comment on?"

I think for a while. "Um…" I breathe out sharply, regaining my hold on the question. "Why are you guys so nice?"

Dr. M stops what she's doing and looks me in the eye. My heart skips a beat and I look away by force of habit, not knowing what else to do. "Johannah, I don't know what your life has been like before this, and it's not my place to ask. But you need to know that even though I've hardly known you for a week, I still love you. We're nice to you because you're a part of our lives, and we like it that way. We're a family, and we'll do anything for each other."

Now that speech stuns me a little. She went as far to say that she _loves _me? This time I do keep her gaze, my expression absolutely flabbergasted. Dr. M gives me one last knowing look before returning to her work—and this time, I don't flinch when she touches me. My gaze now travels to Nudge, who has been strangely quiet this whole time, watching me. When she sees me looking at her she smiles sweetly, a look in her eyes that tells me that what Dr. M says is true.

_She loves me too? _

"WE'RE BACK!" comes Ella's voice out the door.

"AND WE HAVE ICE CREAM!" Gazzy adds.

The door cracks open, but nobody comes in. "Is it all clear?" Ella asks.

"Yep," Dr. M replies as she cuts the thread and smiles at me, signaling that her work is done. _Finally._

The kids come pouring in, all with ice cream in their hands. Dr. M and Nudge are handed one from somebody, and Ella gives me one too. Angel sets one by Fang's bed.

I look down at the label: Chocolate chip.

"I didn't know what you wanted," Ella says sheepishly.

"…Thank you," I reply, suddenly feeling the need to be nice.

Ella's smile is bigger than I've ever seen it at this. Huh, maybe being nice isn't so bad…

Suddenly Ella's eyes lighten a little bit when she looks behind me, at Fang. So I turn. Fang is sitting up, eyes looking dark and clouded.

"Fang! How are you feeling?" Nudge asks when she sees he is awake.

"Like crap," he replies gloomily, but honestly.

"Aw I'm sorry," she replies. "Well we got you ice cream! It's chocolate—your favorite!"

Fang smiles crookedly at her, but I can tell it's forced. "Thanks."

The littler kids decide to go play tag in the hall until Fang can walk again, and we let them. When finally the room has cleared again, Fang risks his first look at me. His eyes are hazy, like a bunch of mixed emotions covered up. I look at him understandingly, nodding slightly, knowing why he feels this way.

"We saving Max?" I mouth, not making a sound.

He nods.

**Me: And there it is! Did you like? **

***crickets***

**Me: Cruel. Just cruel. Well, Fang, did you like?**

**Fang: I can't say anything other than I did—you have a gun to my head.**

**Me: You're not supposed to say that. Now someone will try to rescue you! We wouldn't want that. ;)**


	14. Chapter 13

**I'm a horrible person. I haven't updated at all this year! At least, I don't think… Well, if I haven't, HAPPY NEW YEAR! And here's the chappie.**

Chapter 13

Johannah's POV

"But I wanna _GO!" _Nudge says for the hundredth time.

"NO." Fang finally yells, turning around to face her.

This takes her off guard, and Nudge stands there, stunned, feeling crushed under his height and his deadly expression.

Fang sighs at this, and he lowers his guard. "I'm sorry, Nudge. But it's too dangerous. If they catch you…" Fang licks his lips and looks around, looking for words written on the walls. "It can't happen. I need you safe, and I'll only know that for sure if you're here."

Nudge nods slowly, understandingly. "Okay…"

Fang embraces her in a hug and kisses the top of her head. I stare at this. _He did that because he loves her. Because they're family._

Fang turns back to us—Iggy, Angel and I. "You ready?"

We all nod.

"Okay. Let's go."

Once we're outside, Iggy, Fang, and Angel spread out their wings. _Wow._ Their wings… are… amazing, really. Fang holds out his hand to me, and I take it. He pulls me on his back, and we all get ready for take off. I hold my breath as they begin running down the driveway, flapping their wings slightly, then jumping into the air as a wind gust hits—then we're airborne.

We're going straight up, almost, and before I know it we're as high as the clouds. "Whoa," I breathe, and Fang smirks. It still feels kind of weird, with my arms around his neck and the beating of his wings against my torso, but I ignore it. He is my… brother, after all. "So… where are we going?" I yell above the wind.

"California," he replies.

Ah. "And where are we now?"

Fang smirks again. "Around Boston."

"Isn't that really far from each other?" I ask.

"Yeah."

Great.

Breathing in the cool air, I fix my gaze downward. Right now there are nothing but fields, but I can see a bunch of cities ahead. About ten minutes later, when we're above the cities, I wonder something.

"Can they see us?" I ask Fang.

"Not when we're this far up," he replies. "To them, we just look like birds."

"Oh."

We fly in silence a little longer, and I decide to put my head down and look sideways since looking down is starting to give me a headache. I stare at Angel and Iggy, who fly with ease and peacefulness. Iggy is looking straight ahead, closing his eyes at some points to block them from the wind. Angel is looking down with a concerned look on her face, probably thinking about Max. When she senses me watching her, she turns and gives me a smile, but it is halfhearted. I feel sorry for her—she doesn't feel like her normal self without Max.

Looking back at Iggy, I wonder if him being blind is all a prank on me. Those could be colored contacts. Because he acts like he can see all the time… well, except getting around in unusual places. Then he hooks arms with Max or somebody, so they can lead him around. But my question still stands.

"Fang, is Iggy really blind?" I ask, quieter this time so only we can hear.

Fang's muscles tighten with laughter, but I don't hear it. "Hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I reply truthfully.

Fang laughs again. "Yeah. He's pretty good at being blind. Being mutants, our senses are a lot better than normal people's. Iggy uses his ears or his fingers as his eyes."

When he doesn't go on, I ask, "What do you mean?" because he wasn't very clear.

"Like with phone calls, he has everyone on a different ring tone so when the phone rings, he knows by the song it plays who it is."

"Oh," I reply, understanding. That's pretty clever. "What about other things? How can he cook?"

"You know, I don't really know. He just has these recipes in his head and he feels around for the right things… isn't that right, Iggy?"

"You know, Fang, you talk more to her in one day than you do with us in a week. _Combined," _is Iggy's reply.

I wonder how he heard us, because I was pretty much whispering in Fang's ear, but then I remember that Fang said their senses are better than normal people's.

"But no," Iggy goes on. "Usually one of the little girls finds the ingredients for me."

-this-is-a-line-break-his-name-is-Joey-you-may-pet-him-but-he-will-bite.

"…And nobody ever saw those people again," Iggy finishes. "True story."

I laugh, while Angel looks horrified. Fang is smirking—surprise, surprise.

"If it's a true story, and everybody dies, then where'd the story come from?" I ask, laughter building up inside of me as I watch Iggy's face flush. It no longer looks creepy as it is lit up in the firelight. I look at Angel, who still looks a little scarred from the story. "Don't worry, Angel. It's not true. And there are no such things as ghosts."

Angel smiles at me, then yawns and lies down on the log she sits on. "I'm _tiiired."_

"I'll take first watch," Fang announces, and we all agree. Fang is going to wake Iggy up at three.

About an hour later, I'm pretty sure Iggy and Angel are asleep. I'm forcing myself to stay awake, not wanting to dream about my father or Jane and wake everybody up. Again. But for the millionth time, my eyes close and darkness surrounds me, but this time I'm too weak to defy sleep…

Fang's POV

I poke the fire again, trying to keep my only light source running. When I'm done fiddling with that, I look around at the flock. Iggy's back is turned to me, but his even breathing tells me he's asleep. Angel is facing me, but her eyes are closed and she is breathing evenly, like Iggy, and there is even a small smile on her face. She must be having a good dream. Johannah is on the log beside me, her face peaceful… finally. She's spent almost an hour trying to resist sleep, but I guess now she's given up.

Sighing, I slip my phone out of my pocket and see three new messages, so I open them.

**Nudge: I miss you already! Bring Max back ok? Love u Fang! 3**

**Ella: Haha I miss y'all already! Be careful okay? ;)**

**Nudge: Faaaang? U ok?**

_Reply._

**To Nudge: Yeah I'm fine. Can't get messages in the sky, remember? :j**

_Send._

**To Ella: 'Kay. :j**

_Send._

When I get bored and start playing Solitaire, Johannah starts mumbling beside me in her sleep. God, what is wrong with that girl? The mumbling gets louder, and I can almost make words, but they're all jumbled together. At times, I think I can hear a "Jane" and a "Fang", but nothing besides that. She's shaking, too, and twitching her hands. Her face is twisted in what looks like pain, but there's something else in it. Something missing.

She doesn't like the dream. So I decide to wake her up.

Surprisingly, it only takes one little nudge and she's sitting up, panting.

"…You okay?" I ask, like she asked when I woke up earlier and she was there.

Johannah looks at me weakly, then nods. Her hands are still trembling.

"Liar."

Johannah shoots a glare my way. "You lie too!"

I shrug, smiling. Sort of.

"So were you dreaming about me?" I tease.

Only Johannah doesn't think it's funny. At least, she's not showing it.

"You dream about me too," she retorts.

Wait—how would _she _that?

"Angel told me," Johannah replies, sensing my confusion.

"Oh." There's an awkward silence, then I go on. "So… You cold?"

Johannah hesitates, then nods slowly. I reach beside me and unzip the backpack we brought, pulling out a hoodie and tossing it her way. But when she sees the thing flying at her, she jumps and covers her head with her arms. The hoodie lands beside her.

What the heck?

After about two seconds, Johannah stops and sits upright, her cheeks turning a shade of red.

"You _sure _you're okay?" I ask, trying to break the ice.

Johannah glances at the hoodie, at me, then at her hands. The firelight reflecting in her eyes is suddenly more visible. In a second I'm at her side, trying to look her in the eyes, trying to help. "Hey, hey it's okay," I soothe like I used to do to Max.

She sniffs, wiping her nose on the sleeve of her shirt. "I know."And Johannah breathes, watching the fire, her episode forcing an end. When she looks like she's fully recovered, I—hesitantly—wrap an arm around her, trying to calm her, hoping not to start another fit. Reluctantly, Johannah only leans into me.

After a few moments, I ask, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Johannah fiddles around with her fingers for a while. After about three minutes I assume she's ignored me and thought about something else, but then she says suddenly, "I don't ever remember having a brother."

My gaze turns back to her. "Do you think we really are twins?"

"Angel seems to think so," she replies.

I chuckle. "And when is she ever wrong…"

"We do have the same eyes," Johannah says.

It's true. That was the first thing I noticed about her, was that she has the same eyes as me: big, deep black eyes. When the light shines in them, they look like stars on a night sky. "Yeah," I reply. "We do."

"Do you think that that guy was just bluffing when he said it?" she asks. "Or is it true?"

"…What do you think?" I ask, suddenly interested.

Johannah remains silent for a few seconds at this, choosing her words carefully. "I do believe it," she says finally. "Ever since I first saw you, I've known…"

I smile. "Same here."

For about a minute, we stare at the fire, thinking. Then Johannah says suddenly, "My name is Rain."

Wait. What?

"What?" I say, voicing my opinion.

"My name?" she replies carefully. "I'm…" But then Johannah freezes, like she's said something she didn't mean to.

I wait, but she doesn't go on for a while. I want to say her name, but she might get mad for calling her Johannah—or Rain. I could soothe her like I did earlier, but she doesn't look distressed. Well, not enough to need comforting, I guess.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me," I end up saying.

But Johannah shakes her head. "No, it's okay. If we are twins, then there's no point in not telling you. Well, my real name is Johannah. But with my—our—sister, she always called me Rain, because that is what I liked the most—besides her, of course. She also said it was to 'separate me from my father'."

Oh. That makes more sense.

"Ah. So which do you want me to call you?" I ask, trying to play it casual and not freak out.

Johannah (or Rain?) shrugs. "Whichever. Usually, it was only my sis—_our _sister—who called me that. But that was when she was pretty much the only person I knew."

Well that doesn't help.

"Which do you like better?"

She smiles. "Rain."

**YAAAAY!**

**I'm having a crappy day so reviews will help me greatly! :D**


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